Imakkai, W/ Chp. Eight!
by aemaeth
Summary: A plague strikes Iron Town, and Ashitaka and San set off to get Imakkai, the only cure...Which can only be found in the land of the Emishi.San herself falls ill and Kaya runs off to return the Imakkai...which does not put Ashitaka in a very nice position.
1. Journey

Chapter One:

Imakkai~by Cheenjeehan 

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Mononoke, so there. =P

**Note**: I probably spelled some names wrong and stuff, but if I did just let me know and I'll get around to fixing it one of these days. It's a bit odd, but I tried my absolute hardest to stay true to the story and how it ends, and to keep everyone 'in character'. I think I did a pretty good job, but I don't know, it's been a while since I last saw the movie and I haven't been able to rent it lately…But once I do, I'll go around editing madly, I promise. I'm an obsessive perfectionist, so don't worry, changes WILL be made…Eventually…

Chapter One:

Lady Eboshi cursed quietly and then, quickly recovering herself, smiled up at the young man in front of her. "Ashitaka, I'm afraid I must ask you a favor."

He sat down on the floor in front of her, but did not look at her. Instead, he watched Gonza's retreat from the room; the guard, having just whispered something to the woman, had a worried, stressed look upon his broad face. Lady Eboshi followed his gaze and then brought his attention back to her by repeating quietly and yet slightly sharply, "Ashitaka." 

He snapped back to attention and focused on her, twisting the cloth of his pants between his fingers abselt-mindedly. "Yes, Lady Eboshi?"

She smiled, finally having got his attention, and then her face was grim. "Ashitaka, Gonza has just informed me of something very grave." Seeing his reaction, she continued, "You remember, of course, how Koku fell violently ill yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Well, she had become much worse through the night."

"That is very sad, my lady," Ashitaka said patiently, his voice hinting honest sadness. Then he added quizzically, "But what does this have to do with me?"

She nodded. "Yes, I was just getting to that. Now several more of the woman and a good few men are ill in the same way." She paused for effect. "Now Gonza has informed me that there is say that a plague is spreading a little north of here. These people show all the symptoms of the plague."

"This saddens me deeply, Eboshi, but I still do not understand what this has to do with me."

She leaned forward excitedly. "The old one, the oldest man in Iron Town, says that there is a cure. And do you know where that cure is, Ashitaka?"

He thought a moment, wondering where this was leading to. Where did he have connections to that no one else did? The forest, that was is. "The forest?" he hazarded.

She laughed. "No, Ashitaka, though it is a good guess." Seeing his confusing in his eyes, she finally explained, "Out east! He said that many, many, many years ago something just like this spread around, and he knows that this is the same thing. And do you know how they healed it? With a special herb found only in the east." She cupped her chin in her only hand. "Now, Jigo tells me that you know the land there."

"Traitor," he mumbled, so that she could not hear, and answered her evasively, "A little."

"A little is more than we know. Ashitaka, these people will _die if you do not get this plant."_

He hung his head. "What plant is it?"

"The imakkai. Have you heard of it?"

Ashitaka looked up quickly. "Yes. It is an ingredient in what the Wise Woman poured over my wound."

"Good, then you can find it and bring it back?"

He hesitated, then slowly nodded. "I will try my hardest, Lady Eboshi."

"Good. Then get ready to leave."

*****

San inspected the fruit carefully before popping it into her mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, she stared into her reflection in the lake and remembered.

It'd been over a year—maybe two, maybe more—since the Great Forest Spirit had died. Yes, she thought musingly, it must have been about two years and perhaps three, as she counted the seasons that had come and gone since it had happened.

And since then, so much had happened, and so little as well. Though she missed her mother Moro deeply, San also knew that life must go on—just as it had gone on since the Great Forest Spirit's death. She went about life just as she had before then, only now she no longer felt the burning passion to kill Lady Eboshi—or, as she had always called her and nothing else, 'that damn woman'. 

She also no longer felt she was willing to just throw her life away, as Ashitaka had told her not to. San sighed. Ashitaka; he was the one major difference in her life. Before _then she had no contact with humans other than attacking them sporadically, and before they began chopping down the forest, absolutely no contact at all. How things had changed since then; now she saw Ashitaka at least once a week, sometimes several times more, sometimes less. Some weeks, lucky weeks, he'd come almost every day, but that was so rare San could barely remember the last time it'd happened._

But whether she saw him seven times a week or once or not at all, it was still a major change. Not to mention a complete change; San had gone from dispising humans; hating them, loathing them, trying to kill them, to, well….. . San blushed slightly. Loving one.

She heard light footsteps in the forest behind her, animal footsteps. Standing slowly up and swallowing, she turned around to come nearly face to face will Yakkul, who snorted and took a few steps away from her wolf brothers.

Ashitaka jumped down, and San was surprised to see that he was wearing his head covering, which he wore only when traveling. Putting this together with the fact that he'd been riding Yakkul, San questioned suspiciously, "Where're you going?"

"East. In the area where I grew up." Ashitaka outlined the story that Lady Eboshi had told him, and San listened aptly, every once in a while making thoughtful 'hm' noises.

"I'm going with you," she finally declared, and watched the surprise register on his face. Laughing shortly, she commented, "What, you came to say goodbye, didn't you? Well, I'm coming, too. And I'll bring one of my brothers with me. The other will stay to watch the forest."

"Are you sure? Fine, then," he consented, smiling at her. "But you might not want to go when you hear that people will not go anywhere near you looking like that."

She put her hands on her hip and asked crossly, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm going to have to go into villages and you can't looking like that. You should either wipe off your face makeup and take off the headband and stuff, and keep your clothes as they are, or you should change into normal clothes and you could keep thatstuff."

She thought about it crossly before saying, "Where would you get your quote-on-quote normal clothes?"

"I could ask Toki for an outfit."

"Fine," she grumbled, knowing that otherwise she wouldn't get to go with him, and she wanted desperately to go with him.

*****

"Hey, Kaya!" 

The girl ran over to her friend, the young princess. Kaya turned around to face her. "What is it?"

Her friend, Ako, panted to catch her breath. "I was looking for you. I was just wondering how you were."

Kaya looked at her questioningly. "Why?"

Ako hesitated. "Well….. . You know, it's exactly three years next weeks that Ashitaka.. ." She trailed off.

"I know that," she said sharply.

"Kaya, do you really think he's—dead?"

She sighed painfully. "The Wise Woman cast her stones to find out, you know that. And they told her that he died."

"But do you—"

"Of course she's right. She's never been wrong before. Ashitaka died, and that's that."

Ako considered her friend sadly, knowing that she was right but disheartened that she had lost the hope that she'd clung to for two and a three quarter years. And then, only a few weeks ago.. .

Ako smiled encouragingly. "Come on, Kaya, cheer up."

"Humph."

*****

Ashitaka sat leaning against a tree while, on the other side, San changed. He wondered vaguely why she'd given in so easily, but was distracted by San saying loudly, "I'm done!"

He stood up and peeked around the tree. Finding that she'd put on everything correctly, he commented, "That looks nice on you."

She glared at him crossly, but inside she glowed. Carefully, she jumped onto her brother's back, and Ashitaka untethered and mounted Yakkul, who made a short huffing noise. "Let's go," was all she said, and pressed her heels into her brother's side, and they shot off.

Hours later, deep into the night, they stopped. By then they were almost out of the forest, and they started a fire and sat staring into its depths for a few minutes. "San," Ashitaka finally said in a hushed voice, "why _did you decide to come with me?"_

She looked away uneasily. "I told you once, a few years ago, that you mean a lot to me. That's all."

He reached down and took her hand in his own and held it gently. "Thank you."

She blushed behind the paint on her face. "It is nothing." She shifted her hand so that she could hold his more tightly and leaned against him, soaking in the heat from his body instead of that from the fire.

He blushed in return but leaned against her also, and neither cared when the fire began to die down. 

After a few minutes, Ashitaka leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then stood up, threw a few sticks onto the fire, and lay down to sleep.

San lay down on the ground opposite of him, her forehead burning where his lips had touched it.

*****

Kaya leaned against the wall with a deep sigh. "Do you really think he's dead?"

The Wise Woman regarded the girl sadly. "Yes, Kaya, I do. The stones do not lie, and they told me that Ashitaka died."

"I know. I know he's dead. I just thought that you might have found out something since then."

"Nothing, child. Nothing concerning your brother." She paused, then added, "Do you remember where your brother was heading?"

"Yes, of course. West."

"There are rumors that a plague is spreading there."

Kaya gasped in surprise and horror. "Will it spread here? If a plague hit the Emishi, it could be the last of us."

The Wise Woman smiled. "Ah, but in this the gods have smiled upon us, for once. We and we alone have the cure, and so we are safe from the sickness."

Kaya sighed. "Good." Then a thought struck her. "What if Ashitaka saw the place where it's struck before he died? What if he knew the people who are now sick?"

"I suppose that's possible. But do not trouble yourself with such thoughts, child."

Kaya stood up and got ready to leave the room, her face etched with youthful sadness. "Why are things like this happening?" she murmured. "Why all these bad things?"

"We do not know, child, and we may never. Now go home."


	2. Emishi

~ author's note ~ Yay! I finally watched the movie again! *dances the I-watched-princess-Mononoke-dance*  Finally, it may seem a bit more in character. Or so I hope. *shrugs* Anyway, only that director guy could really write a follow-up that would make them sound _exactly   right, so if it sounds a little off, that's because I'm a writes-too-much-for-her-health American teenager, not whoever it was who wrote the script for the movie. So there._

**The disclaimer I must put here in order for this to not get booted off Fanfiction: I don't own Princess Mononoke/Mononoke-hime. I might want to, but I don't. Happy now? *pouts* Now you've gone and ruined my fantasies of owning it with your  meanie demands for a declaimer. Bakas.    **

J/k

Chapter Two:

            San hesitated at the edge of the forest. She hadn't ever left it except to attack Iron Town, and when she and Ashitaka were giving the Great Forest Spirit back its head. Above, the sun beat down hard, and outside of the forest there was little or no protection from it. Finally, drawing strength from Ashitaka, who was already out of it and waiting patiently for her, she pressed her heels into her brother's side and they left it.

            Ashitaka looked at the land around them as they rode into the vibrantly colored rising sun. Everything seemed vaguely familiar from when he'd traveled through it, but he'd been rather distracted at the time and hadn't taken the details of the land in. Now, washed over with a strong feeling of  dèja vu, Ashitaka took the time to soak in all that he saw.                        

            He wasn't quite sure about this whole trip. Yes, he wanted to save the people of Iron Town. In the time he'd lived there, he'd gotten to know each person quite well; and though he might not be friends with each and every one of them (for no person can get along perfectly with _everyone), he didn't  want to see any of them dead. He'd especially found friends in Toki and Koroku—as loud and annoying as the latter could be. You can hardly save a person's life without becoming somewhat attached to them (though San didn't seem to feel that way at all, and felt no attachment whatsoever towards Lady Eboshi). _

            And yet…He was uneasy. What if he found his town, and no one recognized him? What if they would not let him back, because, as they had said that no matter what happened during his quest, he was dead to them. He had cut his hair and left, and that had settled it; he would never return. What if he wasn't allowed to return? But no, that wouldn't happen, because he knew that they would come running to him, teary eyed and with open arms, if they could but see him alive. 

            But that wasn't really what bothered him. There was something worse.

            What if he got there, and his town was—gone?

            After all, they _had  been dying out. He'd even been their last prince, and poor Kaya was now the last of the royal bloodline. Nago had merely been one of many threats to their vulnerable, puny population; what if, in the years that had passed, they had died out? All it would take was a mildly contagious strain of flu or the like and—gone. What about Kaya? And all his people… He knew he wouldn't be able to bear it if he arrived to a desolate ghost town. And yet it was such a incredible possibility that he was overwhelmed by it._

            Agitated by these nagging doubts, Ashitaka didn't make for a very sociable traveling companion. San, though she noticed the disturbed look on his face, didn't mind overmuch; almost all  her life had been spent out of 'normal society', and a few more hours of silence didn't bother her at all. In fact, she almost enjoyed the lack of conversation—it gave her time to study the landscape, which was completely new to her.  Besides, she always had her brother, though he didn't seem too inclined to speak, either.

            The sun began to beat down on them from the middle of the sky, mocking them as they moved steadily along the trail. Finally San interrupted Ashitaka's irritated musing with an uncertain, "Um, Ashitaka, shouldn't we stop for lunch?"

            He snapped back to attention with an almost startled look. "Oh. Yes."  Stopping Yakkul and jumping off, he dug around in his traveling pack before pulling out some pieces of grainy bread and handing her one and sitting down.

            San flopped down, cross-legged, and leaned her back against her brother, who had laid down and was tearing at the grass with his massive paws. "What is the matter, Ashitaka?" she finally asked.

            He ran his hands through his hair, which only proved to be a painful reminder of his leaving the village. "I was just thinking…About my people, the Emishi."

            San ran her fingers over the crystal dagger absent-mindedly, and smiled something she hoped was comforting. "You'll find out about them soon enough," she soothed in a frank voice, and then looked out at the horizon, to the east, wondering to  herself…

*****

            The trees rustled gently in the breeze. A section of them was marred and formed a thick path from the clearing into and through the forest. In that area, all the bigger trees were simply gone. All that marked that part as having plant life was the tentative grass and weeds that had sprung up. Dead trees and plants still lay rotting next to and on the strange section, oddly brownish and shriveled, scarring that part of the once-beautiful view.

            It was a painful and constant reminder of what had gone on there, next to the Emishi town. Even after the nearly three years, the forest hadn't fully recuperated from Nago's touch. The grass in the field had since grown back green and lush. But this marring of the forest, and the rock which had been covered in Nago's blood and was still pinkish with the stain, were always there, whispering to the troubled, dispairing Emishi.

            Now Kaya sat atop the rebuilt watch tower. The wood still smelled fresh and alive, and was still lightly colored. The watch tower hadn't seen much as long as it had been there; it merely sat there looking new and rather out of place.

            She swung her legs back and forth over the edge, staring out at the dead patch of forest. Constantly—at least once a week—she was caught up there and told to come down. "You spend too much time up in that thing," one woman scolded, who had taken care of Kaya for the past three years. With her parents and brother dead, there was no one left to take care of her. Before he'd left, Ashitaka had taken care of her…

            Kaya choked back a sob. But then that stupid demon boar had come. And he'd cursed Ashitaka, who'd left to find a cure…Only to die far away in the lands to the west.

            At least that was what the stones had told the wise woman. Kaya remembered the day well, when at last the suspense had become too much, and even though they'd said that to them, Ashitaka was dead, they needed to know if that was true or not.  So the wise woman had cast her stones. When she was done, she crouched there sadly for a moment. Tension had hung in the air. Finally, the old woman murmured, "The stones tell me that Ashitaka died far, far away in a forest to the west."

            And that had left no room for doubt. 

            And Ashitaka was all she had left. Her mother and father, both dead when she was very small, and then Ashitaka….

            It wasn't fair. Kaya gritted her teeth and then yelled out, "It's not fair!"

            Birds screeched and took flight at the sudden burst of noise. Three weeks before, her friend Ako had asked how she was, so close to the most painful time—for Kaya, anyway—of the year., the anniversary of the day her big brother had been cursed. Now it was that very day, and Kaya  felt a emptiness in the pit of her stomach.

            She sighed and climbed like spider down the ladder, and hurried back towards the town. Her sword, which she used to harvest on the farm, hit her thigh lightly with every other step.

            The sun was still high in the sky. For a moment she thought she heard a crashing noise in the forest, but shook off the idea. Everyone was in the fields. So it was probably only in her head.

*****

            Ashitaka sat cross-legged next to San's brother, who was panting angrily and clawing at the sides of the dirt pit. He continued picking bits of stick and leaves from his hair until he heard San return. "I can't find anything to pull you up with," she called down, placing a hand on the edge to steady herself and try not to fall in, too.

            "Well, then," he called back up, "didn't we see a town from the top of the hill?"

            "Why'd you have to fall in there?" she retorted angrily.

            "I didn't see it, just like your brother didn't," he replied evenly. "Now take Yakkul  and get help from that town."

            "No!" San scooted backwards a step, eyes flashing. "I can't go into a dirty human town on my own!"

            "Yes, you can, San," he sighed. "You did that just fine when you tried to kill Lady Eboshi."

            "That was different," she shot defensively. "You know it was."

            "Different, maybe. But you still need to get help. If you don't I'll be stuck in here for I don't know how long, and by the time I get out it might be too late for Iron Town. Not to mention that _I  need food as well." He smiled ruefully._

            "I can't go," she insisted hotly.

            "Go, San," her brother growled, finally accepting that he couldn't escape and settling down next to Ashitaka.

            San glared furiously down at them, cursed, kicked some dirt down into the pit spitefully, and the finally hauled herself up onto Yakkul and rode off.

*****

            The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky. San could see the edge of the forest, still a  minute or so's furious ride away.  But, with a puzzled brow, she dug her heels into Yakkul's side and leapt off to inspect the ground.

            "It's all…Dead." She looked thoughtfully out at the field the stretched beyond the forest. "Just like a demon touched…It…" she threw down the handful of dead leaves that she'd just picked up. San regarded the area with fresh amazement. "It can't be."

            She ached to run back and tell Ashitaka where they were, but it was too far behind her and soon it would be dark. Then they'd have to wait until morning to get him out, and  who knew what animals could get in and harm them during the night.

            So, instead, she jumped back onto Yakkul and continued on her way towards the village, dreading what she might—or might _not---find._

*****

            The gates were closed for the night. The sturdy wood wall had been fortified ever since Nago's attack and the gates closed at sunset—just in case.  The Emishi were taking no chances; it was too easy for them to be wiped out now.

            The guard leaned over the side of the wall, surprised to see a stranger there—and more surprised still that they rode on a red elk, like one of his people. "Who goes there?"

            Kaya's curiosity was sparked, and she lost no time in breaking away from the cluster of children she'd been talking with and climbing like a spider up the ladder.  "San," came the cross answer. "Known as Princess Mononoke, from the lands far to the west."

            Kaya's heart burned. The land to the west? What if she knew…?

            "What is your business here?"

            The young woman hesitated. "I've come for help. My brother and my friend have fallen into a pit in the forest. But the three of us came because we're looking for Imakkai, if that's what you mean."

            Kaya nudged the guard to make him look at her. "Let her in," she demanded. "We can't deny her brother and friend help, at the very least." 

            The guard sighed reluctantly but motioned for the gate to be raised, and the woman rode in. Kaya'd never seen anyone like her—fair hair, and strange markings on her face. San jumped from the elk and glanced around, biting her lip. 

            "Princess Mononoke, eh?" the Wise Woman muttered, studying the girl. "Strange name, strange indeed…"

            "It's what the humans call me," she retorted stubbornly. "My real name is San."

            A few eyes widened. People were putting _Mononoke  and __human  together and not liking what that made this girl seemed to be. _

            The elk pawed the ground nervously, eyes wild. "Calm, Yakkul," she murmured quietly, almost inaudibly.

            But Kaya caught it.

            "What'd you call him?" she demanded suddenly.

            San turned and glared. "Who?"

            "The elk."

            "Oh. This is Yakkul," she sighed.

            "But Yakkul was my _brother's  elk. Did you know him? Ashitaka?"_

            Everyone turned to stare at the young woman, who looked unsure of what to say. Finally she answered slowly, "Yes. He saved my life, twice."

            "He did?" Kaya's eyes widened. Of all people to come across, it was one of the few people Ashitaka would've met on his journey, Kaya marveled. Her voice burst of its own accord, "Did he die? Did he really die?"

            San blinked, then answered hesitantly. "Yes. He died saving me. I tried to kill Lady Eboshi. He stopped me and saved my life. The townspeople shot him. He died."

            Kaya was overwhelmed. "You mean—he was shot? Like that boar?"

            "Nago? Yes."

            "And he didn't die of the curse? He died—before he could find a cure?"

            "Yes. But--"

            "He didn't even have a chance?" Kaya was getting angry. 

            "Well—I took him back with me to be healed. And he died. But then--"

            "Do you even _care  that he died?" Kaya cried._

            "No." There was a unified gasp from the crowd. "But--"

            No one would listen by then. There was an instant uproar, which was only interrupted when, after five or so minutes, San bellowed. "Will you all shut up?" Kaya thought she heard her add, "Stupid humans."

            "What do _you  want?"_

            "None of you are going to listen to anything I say. So please, just get some rope to help me with and follow me."

            As they walked, San patiently told them the story of how she'd come to meet Kaya's brother., skimping details and leaving out certain facts—like that she belonged to a wolf tribe, and that her brothers had taken her to Iron Town. Or that her brothers were, in fact, gods and wolves. When they were deep in the forest, a man on the council ventured to ask (San had just finished telling them of the fight and retreat from Iron Town), "What was the last thing he said to you?"

            San, once again, hesitated. "Before he died he said, 'You're beautiful'." San turned reddish. "The last thing he said to me, though, was some rant about  needing to save Iron town and being hungry."

            The Emishi who'd gone with her looked around at each other, flustered. Did this mad young woman think that a ghost talked to her? Or did she mean, the last thing he said that made sense was that they needed to save Iron Town (and he was hungry)? Or was the girl just confused?

            Kaya was studying San with a mixture of anger and interest. Her brother had died saving her. But that also meant that this young woman knew her brother. She knew him…Before. And she must've meant something to him, or else he probably wouldn't have thrown away his only chance of coming home alive.

            Suddenly San stopped, and stooped down, to call into a pit, "I've come back."

            There was a distant laugh, and a man's voice answered, "Did you go to the town?" _Her brother, Kaya thought distantly. __Or maybe her friend is a man, too. _

            "Yes." Her voice was cross. Then she leaned half into the pit and said something that the Emishi couldn't make out.

            There was a yelp and scrabbling noise from inside the pit. Then came a scratchy, booming voice, completely inhuman: "Calm down, human. You'll see them soon enough."

            A few Emishi took some steps back. They had not counted on non-humans. And this…Thing…Sounded scary.

            San turned to scowl at them. "Are you going to help me or not?"

            "I—don't—know," Kaya stammered uncertainly. Then her eyes hardened, taking on a determined look. "Okay. I will."

            They lowered a thick rope ladder into the pit, and then all grabbed hold of the end,  only half-expecting the immense weight of the thing that started to climb it. After only a second or so, though, the weight was gone and they all fell back, just as a large white thing flew over their heads and landed softly behind them. 

            "Brother!" San called happily, and the townspeople, cowering besides each other, wondered just how insane the girl was, to think that a wolf-god was her brother. Someone lay on the wolf's back, and slowly sat up and climbed down, to flop on the ground and sigh.

            Everyone ignored the person, being far too interested in the massive white wolf. No one watched San creep over to the person and crouch down beside him. But everyone saw, in their peripheral vision, the young man pull back his hood and run a hand through his hark hair, wide, surprised eyes scanning the crowd. 

            For a moment everyone was dumbstruck. Then Kaya murmured, "A—Ashitaka?"

            "Kaya? Is that really you?" A smile spread across his face. "You've grown!"

            She jumped over several obstacles, including branches and people, to get to her older brother, who she immediately enveloped in a hug. 

            There were a few minutes of chaos, before someone yelled, "I thought you told us he died!" and everyone fell silent, even Ashitaka.

            Finally, he said, "Well, I did, I guess. But the Great Forest Spirit, Shishigami, brought me back. He healed my bullet wound."

            Kaya interjected quietly, "Only the bullet wound?"

            "Yes."

            "Well…Then why have you come back? What happened after he healed you?"

            "I've come back for Imakkai. But after he healed me…Well, San nursed me back to health, and when I was better  I left. Iron Town was attacked, and Lady Eboshi, who was in charge of it, left with Jigo to kill Shishigami and the Boars. San fought alongside Lord Akoto of the boar tribe, who was wounded. She tried to take him to Shishigami to be healed, but he turned into a demon."

            "Like the one that attacked out town?" Kaya interrupted fearfully.

            San nodded, and Ashitaka continued quickly, before she could interject and insult humans, "San got stuck to him. She couldn't get out, but she called for me, and her brother and I heard her and came running to help."

            "You mean—she touched a demon, too?" Kaya interrupted again. "So she was cursed, just like you?" 

"Yes, Kaya," he sighed. San gave her a glare that suggested she stop interrupting.

"I got San out, and dove into the water with her to wash off the demon blood. By then it was too late for Shishigami, though. Lady Eboshi shot his head off, and he turned into a massive demon that spread quickly. If you touched him, you died instantly. Moro, San's mother, bit Eboshi's arm off. Oh, yes—before then Shishigami had killed both her and Lord Akoto." Ashitaka got several strange looks concerning the fact that Moro had bitten after she was already dead, but he ignored them. "Anyway, we eventually got his head back to him, and he died."

            "He _died?"__ Kaya squeaked. _

            "As we were giving back his head the curse spread, and spread--" Ashitaka made a vague motion with his hand. "We were both covered. Then he died, and Iron Town was destroyed.  We were knocked unconscious, or else the curse got the better of both of us. Either way, when we woke up, we were healed. I stayed to rebuild Iron Town. Now I've come back to get Imakkai to heal the sick people there."

            "You were healed?" Kaya's face brightened.

            Ashitaka nodded briefly, then untied his arm covering and pulled it up to prove his point. Nothing was left except a faint scar.

            There was another stunned silence, before someone yelled something about going back to the town and celebrating that no one remembered clearly afterwards, because there was a sudden rush as all of them ran towards the valley.

*****

note: Ahhh! The stupidity! The boring-ness!!! I hate this chapter! 

Cheen-goo (my demonic laptop): No you don't.

Cheenjeehan: *throws laptop*  It's not TOO bad, but it's pretty boring, you must admit. I hope it gets better. Hope. But I'm currently working on a novel (209 pages to date) and that keeps me rather busy…

As you can imagine. Hey, you're all authors, too, you guys can understand. Right? Right???  This time I tried REALLY REALLY HARD to keep everyone in character, but the only one who I think I managed to do so for is San's nameless brother and his severely limited dialogue. Ach. Review, criticize, CC appreciated and listened to, I swear it…Just remember that flames will be used to heat up my hot cocoa.


	3. Wise Woman

A/n: I am soooooo~ sorry! *bows a million times* I took forever to write this…But I at least have a legitimate excuse this time. I got a new laptop for Christmas…aka UTTER CHAOS… It took me _weeks_ before I even transferred all my files. *everyone sweatdrops* I know, I know, I'm sad… I also got a CCS fic started! That consumed some time…As well as my 200-some page novel…and the gol darn elfwoodians are DEMANDING, I tell you!!! Can't even upload 'cos Thomas Whats-his-butt-the-Swede wants to fool around with the extranet and they STILL bludgeon you with  WRITE MORE, WRITE MORE!!!!! *sigh* Exuses, excuses, I KNOW…

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke. If I did I wouldn't have to write this. Blah. Blah blah. Blah blah blah.

Chapter Three:

            San was not happy.

            She was happy for Ashitaka, of course—who happened to be extatic at that point—but beyond that her enthusiasm had gone into the negatives. She hated—not even _disliked intensely, _hated—humans, and here she was surrounded by them. Listening to their noise, smelling their human stink, watching them pile all over _her_ Ashitaka. They alternately ignored and stared unabashedly at her, both of which she found equally rude. She found most things they found rude…except maybe die. And none of these people seemed predisposed to die any time soon.

            San trotted behind Ashitaka with the sort of general aura that anyone who cared to notice (no one did) would've taken unquestionably as one who feels that if she was seperated from him at this point the world might just come to an end. At the same time she scowled and made a point of remaining coldly silent. Ashitaka, Kaya perched happily on his shoulders (though she _was_ rather big at the point to do any such thing), was typically oblivious to this until he happened to glance back at her for a second.

            His face fell almost inperceptibly and then his usually warm smile was plastered back onto his face. There was, however, a beseeching and somewhat reassuring glint in his eyes aimed at San. She glared defiantly back and frowned as if to say, _It's not my fault I hate humans._ He seemed to take the hint and as soon as the loud chaos had died down somewhat he asked wearily, "Where should we put our bags?" Not that there were many 'bags'. But their traveling stuffs sounded better as a plural.

            They were allowed a quick breather in Ashitaka's old room—but much quicker than San would've liked, because next thing they were dragged back out again and marched up to the Wise Woman's hut.

            The Wise Woman gaped at them with eyes bleary with age, then murmured, "My prince? Is that you?"

            Ashitaka nodded, ignoring the testy look San was giving him. While one of the Elders gushed out Ashitaka's story, slightly altered and exaggerated here and there, she hissed, " 'My prince'?"

            He shrugged. "Didn't Yakkul tell you that?"

            She crossed her arms. "How much do you think an _elk_ knows about social structure, Ashitaka?" she demanded through her teeth.

            "Well, you're called Princess Mononoke," he returned calmly.

            The Wise Woman raised her hand to silence the jabbering Elder. "What was that, Ashitaka?"

            He blinked, looking slightly abashed. "What?"

            "The girl's name." The Wise Woman nodded, indicating San.

            "It's just a stupid name the humans give me," San replied tersely for him. "My real name is San." She sounded less than pleased.

            "But what was it?"

            "Princess Mononoke," Ashitaka answered quickly, cutting off the sharp remark that San would've inevitably made.

            The Wise Woman laughed. "Our prince goes out into the strange lands to the west, and even then he finds himself a princess." San blushed in a mixure of fury and embarrassment—mostly the former. Then she fixed her gaze on Ashitaka, seriously. "But, you cut your hair. We disowned you. We told you you were dead to us and not to return. So why did you?"

            Ashitaka sighed, and said clearly, "The place I settled, Iron Town. A plague had struck it. And the cure could only be found here—so Lady Eboshi sent me to get it. I tried to tell her I couldn't, but she wouldn't listen. So I came."

            "What is it you need, Ashitaka?" the Wise Woman queried curiously.

            "Imakkai."

            She let out an understandning _ahhhhh_ and rocked back on her heels. "I know where it can be found." She fixed her bleary gaze on Kaya. "She's been learning from me, your sister. Go with her tomorrow morning to fetch this plant you seek. For now, take your rest. You will need it."

*****

            Ashitaka sat unmoving on his tatami mat. Across the room San lay fast asleep, curled up in a tight ball—or at least she was fainting sleep, being to peeved with the world, it seemed, to want to hold a conversation. 

            There was a light rap on the door, and Ashitaka jumped to his feet as quietly as he could. If San was awake she was doing a pretty good job of pretending, for he didn't see her sharp ears perk up like they would've if she were awake. Or perhaps it was a sign that she really was awake—even in her sleep she probably would've heard it, and if not woken up, at the very least have perked up. Either way there was no way of knowing and Ashitaka knew it would be futile to try and figure out which was true.

            He opened the door to see, not to his surprise, Kaya's glowing face. She stepped in without being asked and settled herself down on one end of her brother's tatami pallet. He, with a sigh, sat slowly down on the other end, eying San suspiciously. Kaya didn't seem to notice. "I'm so glad you're back, Ashitaka," she whispered gleefully, leaning in so he could hear her better.

            "Not for long," he warned quietly. "I might have to be gone even before tommorow afternoon."

            Her face fell for a slit second and then brightened once again. "I'm just glad you're alive. And I'm glad I got to see you again. You _will_ visit us again, Ashitaka?"

            "I will try," he promised solomnly, though he really doubted it. Kaya obviously didn't catch the note of uncertainty in his voice and turned her attentions to something more interesting.

            . "How'd you get that?" she whispered curiously, pointing to a scar under his eye.

            "San." He smiled wryly as if at a memory. "During when she didn't know I was a friend, and when she clumped all humans together into the same silly pile." 

            "What _is_ she?" Kaya asked uncertainly.

            "A princess of the wolves," her brother explained, lovingly examining the person in question. Kaya turned her head to take a good look at the young woman, also.

"My…dagger," she whispered.

            Ashitaka looked away nervously. "It gave me good luck. San needed it, so I gave it to her, and it saved her life." 

            "How?"

            "She was buried inside the demon Lord Akotto. I saw the glint of the crystal and so was able to find her." He laughed ruefully. "Of course, she stabbed me with it just a few minutes later." Kaya didn't need to ask why, or what happened afterwards. It was written all over his face, which was tinged slightly red.

            "You really love her, don't you?" Kaya asked thoughtfully, careful to keep her voice low.

            Ashitaka reddened further and tilted his head down so that his hair obscured the veiw of his face. Finally he mumbled, "Yes, Kaya, I do."

            Kaya smiled happily and kept doing so until he looked up at her again. "Good night, Ashitaka." With that she got up and left the room.

            He sighed and looked back at San, who'd buried her face in her blankets. "San," he sighed, "I know you're awake. Stop it. You're going to suffocate yourself."

            She pulled the blankets reluctantly away, but turned over onto her other side immediately, facing away from Ashitaka. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, San asked, "Did you mean what you told your little…sister?"

            "I would never lie to Kaya," he replied evasively, voice firm.

            "Well, then…So you know…I do, too." With that she burrowed into her blankets and refused to speak any further.

A/n: I know this ends off horribly, but I felt obligated to upload SOMETHING. Chpt. 4 will show up some time within the next week or two… I know this is short but please forgive me, I've decided that more short chapters is better than a few long chapters. I get things out more quickly. R/R!!!! And if you like this stuff (my humor fics stink) you might want to visit my elfwood page, where all my GOOD stuff is located. See my bio page for the link-ie. Once again, R/R! Domo! 


	4. Forest

A/n: Did I say _week?_ Curse my impulsive promises!!! Anyhoo I _should_ get more unloaded soon after this one… innocent smile* In all honesty, I have no excuse…Well actually I could barrage you with quite a few but that might prove boring. So I'll cut to the chase and make excuses later.

Imakkai 

Chapter Four:

        The wind made its way through the branches of the trees, slowly going about its business as if there was not a thing in the world to hurry it. Oftentimes people are like that; then cruel reality sets in and all seems dark. However, the wind, not prone to such feelings, did not seem to worry about any such thing.

        San did. Not in that exact scenario, of course, but the same peppering of attacks from Fate. She'd once thought she didn't have feelings and that she would never have to deal with them because feelings were human and she was a wolf—and how wrong that turned out to be! At the moment she was more content than she could remember being for a while, sitting silently up in the crook of some branches, held in the arms of nature where no one else could find her.

        Not many, anyway. Ashitaka could if he wanted to, and at present he was making a half-hearted attempt to do so, but he must've known what the solitude meant to her because it wasn't long before he wandered off in the direction his little sister had indicated. San shifted her position so that the girl wouldn't see her. Nice kid, honestly, but San trusted her just about as much as she trusted any other human; next to not at all.

        Ashitaka let Kaya talk incessantly as they searched for the Imakkai. It had been quite a struggle to get out of town, what with all the villagers practically rioting to see him and talk to him and his strange companion, but he'd made it. Quite an accomplishment, when you got down to it. 

        He sidestepped an evil-smelling plant and cast his eyes up heavenward. The night before was oddly blurred and fuzzy, with the abstract quality of a dream. Maybe it had been one after all—he wasn't quite sure. Either way his face felt uncomfortably hot and his stomach disturbingly bottomless and acidic whenever he thought about it. So, naturally, he avoided thinking about it at all, but like metal to a magnet his mind kept wandering back whether his wanted it to or not. 

        Kaya was bobbing up and down happily in front of him, recounting all the events he'd missed while he was away. Her dark hair bounced up and down under his nose, always half a step ahead of him. Ashitaka couldn't help but notice how she'd grown; when had she become a woman? It was a shame, such a shame, that he'd had to miss it, though he couldn't honestly regret being sent from the land of the Emishi. True, it was painful, and true, he did reflect bitterly upon it at times, but it had also been his choice, and without that choice, he would've never met San.

        San would be dead now if he hadn't been cursed. A disturbing thought, to say the least. She would be dead on many counts, in fact, and so would a goodly number of other people and other life. Had he really done all that good? Could he, by just letting one arrow fly, have changed the course of fate?  It made his head spin just to think about it. _Then don't think about it think about something else if it gives you a headache why don't you?_

_        Because if I don't think about that I think about something else just as complicated,_ another region of his mind shot back. Imakkai. Plague. Long roads. San. Ashitaka put a hand up to his head as if to try and stop the thoughts from flowing, and ran his fingers edgily through his hair. Shishi Gami, his friends couldn't be _dead,_ could they? No. He'd get home in time. Somehow.

        Kaya seemed to finally notice that he wasn't paying any attention and spun around on her heels to face him. "Big Brother, what is it?" Her voice was weary, somewhat concerned.

        "Nothing, Kaya." He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Just thinking."

        She considered him seriously, dark wide orbs thoughtful. "Someday will you show me Iron Town?"

        His mouth opened and closed in surprise. A cross voice called from above, "You don't want to. It's an infested beehive of--" She jumped from the tree and paused, as if unsure of how to continue.

        "Humans, San?" Ashitaka offered flatly.

        She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "And that one-armed bitch."

        "Eboshi," Ashitaka sighed, looking at Kaya apologetically. She shrugged offhandedly.

        San continued loftily, "And it stinks."

        "Like iron of like humans?" Kaya giggled.

        "Both," San said firmly.

        "Sounds like fun to me."

        "It's not." She cast a quick glance at the young man next to Kaya. "Ashitaka, I'm going to go look for my brother. I'll be back." With that, she was gone.

        Kaya continued on for some minutes before pointing downward. "There it is!" she declared delightedly, smiling brightly at her big brother. "Imakkai, healing plant…just what you need."

        It was actually a rather small, puny plant, thin and delicate but with a strong, poignant smell. Even from behind Kaya Ashitaka could smell it cleary, disinctly. It wasn't very tall, either; about eight inches at most, no more, and with small, just blooming flowers the color of the sky. The leaves and stem were a deep green that spread around the trees for quite a bit—obviously, once you could actually locate the plant it was plentiful enough to gather a good bit. 

        Kaya knelt down and cut a few plants expertly at the root, carefully nicking away at a handful of plants before wrapping the bunch in rice paper and tucking the package into a bag. 

She handed that reverently to Ashitaka. "I'm supposing they'll know what to do with it, but just in case you have to boil it for six hours then set it out to dry. It needs a few days before it can be boiled. That'll be compentsated for by the journey back. Okay?" She smiled brightly and turned to face the direction San had gone. "Now let's go find your wolf girl, okay?"

San knew instinctively where her brother would head: the dead run of forest. Hardly out of bread even after the long run, San halted just at the edge, spotting him not far away. The scent of demon and blood still lingered in the air even after all the years to San's sharp nose, mingled with the smell of a human she recognized all too well: Ashitaka. 

        Wearily, she sat down in the decay and brown-leaved death and closed her eyes, trying to use the setting to imagine what it must've been like. Nago, a demon much like Akkoto,  running amuck and destroying everything in his path, cursing and killing everything it came in contact with—including her Ashitaka. She shook her head violently. _No, not _my_ Ashitaka. Especially not now. He's _theirs._ Not mine. Never mine. _What had happened? Ashitaka avoided talking about it; yet, one night on the ridge by her cave, he had given her monosyllable clues. And Yakkul, too, as much as an elk could. 

        _The moon was a white, giant circle in the sky, radiating a thin, soft light. They sat on the smooth ridge overlooking the forest; in the distance, Iron Town sat looking small and weak next to the imposing forest. And yet, with a certain, undeniable strength and threat that even now could not be denied, even with a truce between the forest creatures and humans…_

_        "Ashitaka?" San had asked quietly, finding her voice with much surprise. "Do you miss it?"_

_        "Miss what?"_

_        "Where you came from," she explained simply._

_        He smiled slightly and shook his head, answering softly, "No, San, I don't. I still have my memories…and I can't imagine not having met the people of Iron Town…or you."_

_        San reddened slightly and ducked her head, still partially unwilling to accept human feelings. "Were you sad at the time?"_

_        He pressed his eyebrows together, thinking hard. "Yes. I was. But I knew it was what I must do."_

_        San snorted distainfully. Humans. Was _honor_ all they cared about, sometimes? No, not even that, it was more honor twisted to fit their needs, not honor pure, simple, and true. "Well, either way, I'm glad."_

_        He draped his arm nonchalantly over her shoulder. "So am I, San."_

        He mind became fuzzy, blind, until all she could see were dim, sometimes vivid, flashbacks, one after another…No end to them, memory after memory from year after year…some pleasant, others garishly horrible. Why couldn't she concentrate her mind…?     

_Blood…all blood…no way out…she screamed piteously, "No, please, I don't want to become a demon!" Once or twice she called Ashitaka's name…and then his blessed face…then it was gone, and there was simply more blood once again…_

She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice her brother coming up and laying down by her side, at first. When she did it was in half-consciousness, as she blinked at him, and then lay her head on his back. Why was she so tired…? But…then…did it…even matter…? Her thoughts became jumbled as she slipped into a flitful sleep.

********

a/n: mwahaha! And thus I leave off at a semi-cliffhanger! Ha…and at the saaaad rate that I write this, it may take you some time before you can find out what happens next…(and excuse that random burst of language from San. I myself never curse, but in staying true to that character I needed to insert that…*shrug*)R/R!!! I am mooooore than happy to receive CC, compliments, and yes, even flames (they come in handy for heating my tea). Email me if you have any questions, I will be _more_ than happy to reply. _Domo arigato gozaimasu!_


	5. Well, this isn't good

A/n: *silly smile* Cheenjeehan's advice of the day—do not go and read an endless amount of sappy GW ficcies in an endless string. Cheenjeehan's even better advice of the day—do not do the aforementioned activity and then go write your own fic! Muahaha.  Any complete insanity in this is completely and totally FierySable's fault! Hehe. (You can't blame me for wanting to read all I could of one of the rare authors who does NOT want to shred Relena into a million pieces!)

Disclaimer: Guess what?! I don't own Princess Mononoke or anything affiliated with it! Gee whiz, can you believe it?! And all this time you thought I did…

Imakkai

Chapter…err…*checks which chapter it is that she's on*…. Five:

           Ashitaka handled the Imakkai carefully, bringing the bag down across his shoulder so that the strap went diagonally across his shirt. Then he straightened and wondered aloud, "Where did San go?"

           Kaya pointed in the direct she'd just turned. "That way, big brother."

           He smiled—how he'd ached to hear her voice saying that for so long! How long? Three years, now, could it be?

           They walked on in silence for some time before Ashitaka paused, stiffening, as a wave of nauseous memories swept over him. "Kaya," he swallowed semi-calmly, "we're heading right for the forest by the watchtower."

           She cocked her head, then seemed to notice this for the first time. "You're right. Well, maybe she was curious about it."

           "She was looking for her brother," Ashitaka corrected firmly.

           Kaya shrugged the comment off. "Anyway, if we haven't found her by now, that's where she'll be."

           Ashitaka nodded confidently and continued on, feet picking their way through the underbrush of their own accord, finding the path not by way of sight but by buried memory. He seemed to remember every tree and bush like it'd been only yesterday that he'd left, not years before; he knew the sights and smells of the land like he now knew the same of Iron Town and Shishigami's forest. Light filtered down brighter and less mysteriously here, and instead of the constant clicking of kodamas there was the endless tittering of birds. He realized that he'd grown so used to San's forest that this one now seemed empty, disturbingly quiet without the kodamas. He found himself straining his ears for the telltale _click click click clickita-clicka_, but it never came. 

           And instead of the tart, distinct smell of smoldering iron tinting the air there was that of farmland. And in the distance, a small, thatched-roof village in a valley instead of a loud, fortified town on a prominent hill. 

           A white blur came suddenly towards him and came to a sliding stop in front of him, kicking up stones and dirt into his face and nearly knocking him over. "Boy," it growled in a deep, rumbling voice that made the hairs on the back of Kaya's neck stand on end, "San--"

           Ashitaka didn't wait to hear more before he was running off in the direction that the wolf had just came from, Kaya stumbling behind him and falling steadily farther and farther behind. She couldn't help but notice the way he'd learned to find his way easily through the brush without needing to look, or at how he was keeping pace with a wolf. A wolf _god_, no less. She stopped for a moment, bent over, her palms on her knees and hot breath bursting out from her lungs. 

           Her brother was slowing to a semi-panicked stop, barely winded but for fear. San lay in a limp heap by a dead, browned path…

           Bile choked him and burned at his throat, but he forced himself to keep advancing towards the scene. Not many feet away he could tell that she was still breathing, so that at least was good, but her forehead was moist with sweat and she was biting her lip deeply in sleep. He dropped to her side and shook her, perhaps a bit too strongly, and her eyes flew open with a haunted, hunted look in them. She managed to whisper his name weakly before dropping back into unconsciousness, back into the abyss of darkness and memory…

           Kaya came panting up to his side as Ashitaka pulled San's limp body closer to his, cradling it carefully in his arms. "What's the matter with you, San?" he mumbled gently.

           She buried her face into his tunic, shivering lightly though sweat still formed on her face. Ashitaka's mind raced through all possible scenarios before a probable one hit him squarely in the face in the form of a light brush of cloth on his hand. He glanced down nonchalently as he thought and realized: Toki's. Toki lived in the village and worked the forge. Several of those women had fallen ill. Could Toki have been exposed…? A stream of thoughts followed that one: San could have the plague. The one proceding that was: Toki could have it too, then. And Koroku, for that matter.

           His head spun. San was sick, he needed to heal her, and he also needed to rush back, or his friends would possibly die. That in itself was enough to barrel him over with stress before he realized: how am I going to do _both? _How? 

           He realized dimly that Kaya was speaking and turned his attention to her. "Quick, Ashitaka, we must get her back to the village!"

           Instinct took over and Ashitaka shook his head violently, ignoring Kaya's protests, and began off in the opposite direction of the village. "We can't risk infecting our people, Kaya," he sighed heavily, "even if they do have the cure. There would still be those whose lives it could claim." _San's?_ a vicious voice asked menacingly. _She hasn't been exposed to human illness. What if she can't fight it?_ "Besides, San is more likely to heal outdoors. Closed-in spaces like our houses would only make her worse." _But out in the middle of the woods the Wise Woman can't come help her._ "Isn't there a cave somewhere around here?" Ashitaka didn't voice his nagging doubts and fought to keep his voice steady. 

           Kaya nodded and led him towards a small, open cave; but it would suffice. As Ashitaka laid San down in it and arranged her so that the wind wouldn't get to her, Kays voice nervously, "What if I took the Imakkai to Iron Town?"

           He rounded on her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No. You do not know the way. Besides, the village would fall apart if both of us were to go. You know I can never come back to live here. You wouldn't be able to, either, should you do so." He smiled softly. "We'll find a way. Don't worry."

           She bit her lip furiously then said firmly, decidedly, "I'm going to go cut some more Imakkai for San. I try to get it done as fast as I can, Big Brother." Then she ran back off into the woods, and Ashitaka slowly sunk to the cold stone floor of the cave, glancing back at San with a heavy heart. Her brother had laid himself down next to her and seemed to be asleep, while San still shivered with feverish dreams. 

           Ashitaka pulled his red bowl from his bag and filled it up in a nearby stream. He knelt down in the dim darkness of the cave and gently forced some water into San's mouth, using the remainder to wet a potion of his sleeve and wipe it over her forehead. "Oh, San…"

A/n: Short, I know. But I don't exactly have much time, lately…School problems. *sweatdrop* That evil, unbalanced homeroom teacher of mine is driving me to the point of insanity. (He's LITERALLY crazy but the principal won't believe us when we tell her the things he does.) Ah well. And of course no feeling of stress is reflected in my story. *everyone face falls* (In order to strike a chord with youse peoples I might mention that he thinks yaoi is evil and those people should be jailed…or somethin'…yep, mad yet?) I'll write more soon! R/R, domo…


	6. Kaya Is A Very Very Bad Girl

A/n: I started this for Emiri-chan! I would never subject anyone to that kind of torture. *shivers* Become a pokemon fan? O dear. *pause* Where _am_ I, anyway? *looks back at chp 5* Ohhhhh yeah….XD 

Disclaimer: I have bought rights to all anime everywhere and it is all now MINE! Muahahahahahahahahaha!…*wakes up* Phweee?…Or… not. O-o

Imakkai:

Chapter Six….finally….

           Ashitaka sat restlessly dreaming  in a dark corner of the cave, alone but for the sleeping San and her brother and the bright moon overhead. The nightmare face of the boar demons startled him awake, panting and damp with sweat. He found that he had a hand tightly clamped around his faint scar where the curse had first been, but the fingers were dead and it took him several minutes to work them awake and pry them away. Gazing dismally from the moon to San and back again, he wondered briefly if this was how it had been for San when she had cared for him when he was—there was no other word for it—dying and then recovering from dying. 

           In a corner some Imakkai hung to dry, though, Ashitaka knew, it was probably a hopeless cause to want it to dry in time. And even after it had, how long would it take for San to recover? And how long until she could travel again. The odds were horribly against him, and he felt a sort of vague panic at, for once, not knowing what to do. His decisions before had always been quick and certain; and yet now, what options did he have? Certainly not many at all.

           San stirred restlessly where she lay, but otherwise wasn't doing badly. He could not think of anything more he could do—or at least not for several more hours, as he had forced her to eat some just a little while ago and trusted that she didn't need too much to eat—and had faith in San's brother, so he got up and headed for the Emishi village, Kaya, and the Wise Woman.

           There is something to say for the spectacle nature puts on at night, and as the first rays of dawn stretch across the sky there is perhaps even more. Ashitaka was all but oblivious to it as he made his way purposefully through the thickness of the forest. 

           He passed the watchtower with a glance upward and a quick wave at the person there before turning towards the village. His stomach turned uneasily; it seemed to be in unrest, and surely his staying the night in the cave had not caused this trouble. And even if it had, they would've calmed down by now. So what way it that was disturbing them so—and why, after dawn, was it still so full? Most of those people shouldn't've been there—they _should_ be in the fields, working. So…

           He ran, stumbling, down the hill and came to a skidding halt, slightly winded, in the entrance. Almost at once a dozen people were upon him, all talking at once, none of them coherently. Ashitaka help up a silencing hand and commanded loudly, "Be quiet! One at a time. Kanure, you first."

           The villager pointed wildly down the dirt street. "Kaya—gone!" They seemed unable to communicate anything more lucid, but it didn't matter, because he was already impatiently inquiring, 

           "Did she take an elk with her?" At the quick, panicked nod, his heart sank dejectedly. Chances of catching up to her now would be slim indeed.

           He jabbed a finger pointedly towards the forest. "Kanure, go to the cave in the forest and watch over San. I'll try to be back before sundown." With those words he shot off, only stopping once to jump on Yakkul and accept a poffered gift of water and a small bag of cooked rice. 

           The sun had barely moved in the sky by the time he was off, riding desperately with the sun directly to his back. How could she be so _stupid?_ Even if she _did_ manage to make it anywhere _near_ Iron Town, what then? Would they let her in? Maybe they would recognise the elk and clothes as being like his and therefore accept her claim—if she was smart enough to make it—of being his sister, but what if she chose to make her way to it through the forest? San's brother would not take intrusion lightly. He hoped against hope that he would be able to find her and persuade her to come back before she was too far out of reach. A vain hope, perhaps—

           An hour or so later Yakkul began to tire, so he slowed their pace and took to examining the landscape more closely for any sign of his sister. He took a quick drink of water and nearly spit it out again as he spotted his sister on a red elk moving at a quick jog on the horizon. "Kaya!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound. "_Kaya!!!"_ He waved his arms over his head to catch her attention and succeeded. She hesitated a moment and then stopped to wait for him as he thundered towards her.

           Ashitaka regarded her furiously as he came nearer, or as well as he could manage, but the look was softened with relief. "Kaya, _what_ do you think you're doing?" he demanded, pushing some damp hair out of his eyes.

           "I'm taking the Imakkai to Iron Town," she replied stubbornly, pointing to her own red bag at her belt. "I'll be fine, Big Brother, really. I'm not a child anymore."

           "Kaya—"

           "I'm going, and you can't make me go back. You have to take care of San. You don't want any of your friends to _die_, do you?" She noted the shadow the passed over his eyes triumphantly, she she edged on. "Wouldn't it be a shame to have died and then nearly died again saving them, only to have them be killed when I could help them?"

           He pressed his lips more tightly together, but felt himself slowly relenting to her logic. "I can't let you do this, Kaya. It's too dangerous."

           "It would be less dangerous if you would tell me the way," she countered with the same cool logic.

           Ashitaka sighed, feeling his shoulders slump wearily, and then found himself telling her the way in a tired monotone. "Go around the forest and take the mountain path," he finished unenthusiastically. "San's brother and the apes resent _my_ presence enough, and they will _not_ appreciate yours. The moutain path is longer, but safer. Don't tell anyone where you're from, and do not speak to anyone until you get to Iron Town. Especially if you run into a man named Jigo—he might guess, if he sees you, that we are related, and then you'd never get rid of him and he'd probably cause trouble for you, too." He smothered the curiousity the lighted in her eyes by continuing on with a brief description of the monk in a tone that suggested she forget about her curiousity, period.

           "When you get to Iron Town, you'll find that it's fortified. You might have a bit of trouble getting in, but tell them that you're my sister and that you've got the Immakai. Got it?"

           She nodded slowly, and he reluctantly began to back Yakkul up. "I still don't like the idea of you going."

           "Get used to it," she responded cheerfully, grinning at his despondency. "I'm not going back until you come."

           "Then I'll return as soon as possible." His eyes lit up and he added suddenly, "Oh, yes! And ask for Toki if you run into any trouble at the gate. She'll believe you even if the others don't. And she'll show you where my house is. Stay there while you're waiting for me." He tried to sound at least dully optomistic and managed to sound somewhat more than horribly pained. "Good luck, Kaya."

           "Good luck to you, too, Big Brother." The words had hardly left her mouth before she was off again, the sun glinting off of her hair as she rode steadily westward.

****

a/n: Gack! A new chapter, finally! I was inspired to write…By seeing the tape box at the video rental. My mind works in strange ways. The idea of _Kaya_ going had hardly even occurred to me until Lenalaye mentioned it! (Thanks!!!!) And I only decided, as I was _writing _it in fact, to make her go. It was rather spur-of-the moment. Ah svell! (That's Oh, Well in Cheeny Speech). The next few chapters should alternate between Kaya and Ashitaka/San. *Hehe* When I first started this, I had no intention of making her a main chara, so it amuses me that she's become one. More should come soon, now that I have a clear idea of where I'm going w/ this (as of yet I've been just winging it from chapter to chapter). R/R!!!! Pleeeeeeaaase…Comments, cc, and flames are happily accepted…^_^

ps: If you want me to email you when I update next, tell me and I'll be more than happy to! Okie? Okie.


	7. And Thus the Story Veers Wildly away fro...

A/n: Be afraid…be very afraid…I just got back from a trip to Hershey yesterday, along with a group of friends (including **Randowyn** and **The Manticore**, two of the funniest authors on FF! Visit them!!! Their fics are HISTERICAL!) and now I'm hyper…. Hahaha, the nutcases travelling with me were dumb enough to NOT finish off the six boxes of Nerds and bagful of Jolly Rancher lollipops…now they're all miiiinne…Gwahaha! 

Disclaimer: Not mine.

_Imakkai:_

_Chapter Seven_

           The grass waved lazily under the sun, which beat down harshly onto the figure that sat under it drinking deeply from a water skin. Kaya scanned the area with a critical eye, looking for the landmarks that had been listed to her by her brother. Not for the first time since she'd left, Kaya doubted the sanity of this trip, and her own sanity for undertaking it, but she pushed the thought aside with a weary _It's for Ashitaka; and I get to see more than merely Emishi land, like I've always wanted. _

_           Only two days of travelling so far,_ she thought sadly, _and yet I'm already tired._ She closed her fingers on the grass and ripped up a green handful, holding it in the palm of her hand for a minute before rising to a kneel and leaning forward, throwing it to the wind. 

           It caught the grass and carried it forward, flying delicately down the hill like some swarm of warped insects. At the base it let a good majority go, and yet held onto a few select strands of greenery, carrying them further along in a mad dance of nature while the rest fell slowly to the ground and settled hidden among the rooted grass. 

           She sighed and stood still, watching the few strands' progress until she could no longer see any of them. Heaving another weary sigh, she allowed the same wind to catch and play tricks with her dark hair, wondering at all that had happened in recent years. It didn't seem so very long ago that Ashitaka had been cursed and left; and yet, when it had happened she was a child, which she was no longer. 

           Her elk nuzzled her hair and made a throaty noise that made Kaya look up in surprise. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled backwards, fleetingly wondering if she should hide—but where? Feeling uncomfortably trapped, she realized at last how terribly unprepared she actually _was._ She'd never even left Emishi land before—

           By the time her thoughts had settled coherently the travelling party was nearly abreast of her, close enough at the very least for them to spot her. She made as if to run, but froze at the sound of someone calling to her in loud greeting, looking warily at the figure out of the corner of her eye. Settling stiffly into a vaguely protective stance, one hand on Marou, her elk, and the other resting lightly, delicately upon her only weapon, a sword not meant for fighting but for farming, but which she had brought along as a protection even so. 

           The person again greeted her and bowed, now very close and apparently oblivious to her nervous hostility. "_Kon'nichi wa._ We are a trading caravan headed for a place known as Tatara Ba," and at that he gestured vaguely towards the west, "but we are lost. Do you know which road we should take?"

           Kaya calmed somewhat, realizing with some relief that they thought her to be a local, and suspected nothing suspicious about her—but why should he? Perhaps her looking suspicious was merely a wild figment of her imagination after all, and all she appeared to be was a polite member of Japanese society. "I'm not very familiar with the roads," she confessed politely. 

           "Well, where are you headed, then?"

           She shifted uneasily, but replied in a steady voice, "Also west."

           The man looked dimly surprised. "You are not just heading home, then?" 

           Kaya pressed her brows together and responded in a slightly indignant voice, "No! I'm a traveller, just as you are." _Just because I am a girl does not mean I cannot travel_ was the obvious implied ending.

           The man coughed and shifted uneasily under her dark-eyed glare, finally inquiring, "Where west?"

           She hesitated, unsure of whether or not she could tell him; but, as he did not appear to be a short, ugly monk nor particularly malevolent, and since it would seem rather suspicious if she refused to give this information, she answered dully, "Iron Town."

           The man clapped his hands together once in a gesture of gladness and the edges of his mouth turned up as if to suggest a smile, though he appeared to be incapable of the actual thing. "Well, then! The same place as we are!" He ignored her dimly confused expression and went on excitedly, "Why don't we strike a deal? Point a, we are obviously going to the same place. Point b, it is not very safe for anyone," though, Kaya realized, _a girl_ was the implied word, "to travel on their own on these roads. And point c, we are lost while you obviously have some idea of the way. So I propose that you come along with us and give us directions; in return, you will have safety and a dry place to sleep at night."

           Kaya thought about this quickly, drawn in very much by the last statement as she ruefully remembered the past nights of sleeping on uneven, wet ground. And, she knew, she'd be more likely to gain easy entrance if it were with a trading caravan; alone she would be subject to individual suspicion and scrutiny, while in a large group she could slip in anonymously and maybe unchallenged. Of course, she wasn't about to say this out loud, and she certainly wasn't going to tell anyone her business, but at last she agreed, "Fine. I'll come. My name is Kaya, by the way." 

           If the man were curious about the absence of a family name he didn't say as much, but instead returned in a cheerful voice, "Matukawa Taru."

           He turned back to those in his small caravan and called out, interrupting the already beginning rushed business of break-taking; quick swigs of water and otherwise, one or two taking advantage of the moment to go out into the nearby foliage to relieve themselves, people patting down their tired, sweating animals, and others talking amongst themselves inside the unexpected lapse in work. Taru clapped his hands twice, briskly, and they simultaneously snapped to attention, giving Kaya a pretty good idea already of who ran this caravan and how; it was Taru, and Taru alone, and he ruled over the small group like a singularly powerful emperor. 

           "Which way?" he asked her, quietly, out of the corner of his mouth.

           She pointed her finger towards a road, frowning slightly, and 

           It didn't occur to Kaya until that night, sleeping under the protective shield of a tent, to wonder why traders would be going into an area infected with the plague. 

***

a/n: _Finally!!!_ A new chappy! Yay! Welp, more to come. I have no idea for how much longer this is going to drag on…definitely more than a few chapters. But, alas, finals this week, and graduation next week (yay!!! I'm finally getting out of my hellhole of a school!! I'm moving on!!!). And a belt test. Errrgghh. But then I'll have a whole free week to meself before my sister and brother get out of school, so I'll have LOTSA time to write. And remember: **Randowyn **and **The Manticore!!!!!!**


	8. Kanure, San, and the Big Bad Wolf with a...

A/n: well, no more school, y'know what THAT means: new chappies! *yay* Heheh, graduated FINALLY, valedictorian, too. ^_^ Happy happy joy joy. *cringes as she remembers Ren and Stimpy* Eggh, scratch that. BTW, I sorta switch timeframe…don't be confuzzled! I really should make this chapter seven and have the other one be chapter eight, because otherwise they're in the wrong order…but oh well. I'm too lazy. So just grin and bear my insanity. Long chappie…for me anyway. 

Disclaimer: 'Tis not mine, nor shalt it ever be. Lalaladeedee. 

Imakkai: Chappie Eight

           The sun danced through the trees, throwing bits of light on the forest floor; perhaps too much light, he admitted with homesick grudge, and it was too quiet, as well. What kind of forest was this that was home to no kodamas? It was truly no wonder this place suffered so much bad fortune, if they did not even have kodama to bring them luck. And that rotten awful patch of dead stuff. True, he admitted, the Great Forest would have been the same way had the Shishigami not gotten his head back and changed back from his demonry, but it at least had healed. Was it that this place, the land of the Emishi, had so little life left, was so tired and breathless that it could hardly heal that monstrous run of Death?

           He wandered a bit more and even allowed himself a bit of self-pity. True, he'd gotten to go with San, but he really did miss home and knew that even one as great as he could become sorely homesick. 

What was he thinking? If _he_ was homesick, and he being who he was, imaging _San,_ he told himself.

           Ah, but he'd allowed himself a bit of wandering away from that for a bit. Seeing her so sick and helpless had become depressing, and since she had the two of them to take care of her his absence would not be missed. 

           Besides, the thought grudgingly, the two might want a bit of time to themselves. Or at least San would, if she were conscious enough. Oh, yes, San slipped in and out and was sometimes was coherent enough to hold small conversations, though the rest of the time she thrashed about and looked generally miserable. And it was those times that he was most bothered; besides the fact, San never seemed overly interested in holding long conversations with him, nor had she even, nor, he doubted, would she ever. It was just something they simply didn't do; Moro had been a more apt speaker, anyway. 

           Perhaps he could find an excuse to back, now. He was not needed here. Besides, Kaya was hardly more than a child.

           He pondered on his as he wandered about, mulling over this chance to go. He found he could no longer stand it here. He paced back and forth over the cave enterance; where _was_ he? Understandibly, he'd need a bit of time to himself as well, and perhaps the food here was not completely appatizing, but to take this long—! 

           Behind him, he heard San stir and groaned deeply; now he'd have her awake and probably making sense, wanting to know why he was the only one there, and then if she fell or nodded off into one of her more sickly states he'd have to deal with it alone.

           It was at times like this he regretted being who he was, for San's sake. A lack of fingered hands can be quite an impediment.

           He felt clammy, wet hands grab at his hide a bit more roughly than usual and San came to stand by his side, looking weak and miserable. He longed to tell her to lie down and rest, but San was far too strong-willed to listen. She'd probably only do herself more damage by taking it as a challenge. 

           And the inevitable question: "Where's…Ashitaka?"

           The woman did what he would not, and ordered her in a authoritative voice, "Please, go back to bed. You'll strain yourself."

           San shot her a murderous glare, which she was apparently still able to do, and he felt her pulling herself slowly onto himself and then collapsing on his back, cheek resting clammily on his neck and hands twisted into his prestinely white hide. He heard her uneven breath more closely now and cringed; to see the Mononoke-hime, princess over the ghosts, ghouls, specters, and the forest itself, so weak and helpless was almost more than he could bear.

           The woman rose from her spot on the outside of the cave and heaved a sigh. "Ashitaka went to look for Lady Kaya. He'll be back. Please, rest." She sounded slightly more nervous now that she was closer to him, and he found that all it took was a slight curl of his lip for her to back off, sitting down heavily at her original post. Kanure, she'd called herself, had said Ashitaka sent her—what did she think she know? She was no Healer. And she knew nothing of how much more healing it would be for his sister to be here with him than lying in a dark cave. 

           He wanted to stay and care for her, but what good was he doing? Being out of bed might not do her much more good than comfort, which was always a good thing, but in truth he'd be very little help. And yet he knew he should stay. To watch over San. To protect her. He snarled slightly, startling the woman, much to his satisfaction. Ashitaka was not here now; how could he count on him? And if he left, how could he stop Ashitaka from…being with his sister?

           He would say he had a big brother complex if it were at all clear who was the older one; he and his brothers were surely much larger than her, and yet they still took orders from her. When Ashitaka had been hurt and they'd wanted to eat him, they had taken San's order "No, you may not" and the following order to leave seriously. She was the only one they took orders from besides Moro. So in that respect she acted the older one. But they protected her and guarded her. In a way, they could be said to be members of a litter, triplets of a sort. San was merely the dominant sibling.

           He growled softly to himself and shrugged his shoulders as he felt San slipping slowly off one side, exhausted by the mere effort of walking from the cave and pulling herself up his back. She settled herself more comfortable and eventually he felt, through his back, her ragged, unever breathing settle slowly into the less restless sound of light sleep.

           The woman Kanure gathered up enough courage to stand and stir the small fire by the cave entrance, casting worried, nervous looks over at the great wolf and his human sister every once in a while in agitated sort of spasms; though, he noted reluctantly, she did handle herself more calmly than another would have in the given situation. She held herself in a remarkably composed, if a bit edgy, manner, and this he grudgingly respected, even if she were human and weak and also, through natural order of events, his enemy.

           The latter his cast aside and even allowed her to edge forward and softly beg San awake, offering her with only slightly shaking hands the cup of tea she'd made; tea, no doubt, heavily laced with herbs and other medicinal thisthats, for the woman poured tea for herself from a separate pot, and his nose was sharp enough to catch the herbal tang easily. San's was, as well, but muddled as she was she opted to drink it, though in a more ludic state she would never have dreampt to do any such thing, especially if the poffered cup was from the hands of a stranger and a human.

           He very nearly came close to disemboweling the woman and throwing off San as a twig snapped behind them. After spinning around quickly, teeth barred threateningly and poised to strike, he managed to calm himself just enough to allow San to catch her center of balance and Kanure to cease screaming that retchedly shrill scream of hers.

           The sun was low in the sky and cast strange shadows on Ashitaka's paled face as he jumped forward and raised his hands quickly in a gesture of surrender and innocence, purple scars livid in the sunset's darkening forest. "It's just me! Ashitaka!"

           He growled his understanding and eased his fighting stance, loosening taunt, fight-ready muscles. It was about time the man showed up!

           Kanure leapt to her feet and virtually threw herself into Ashitaka's arms, eyes wide and slightly wild-looking. She backed up slightly when she noticed the strained expression on his face, the dark circles that ringed his eyes. The day had not been a kinds one for him. "Lady Kaya?" she asked in a hushed voice by way of greeting, wringing her hands nervously.

           Ashitaka shook his head, the great mop of brown hair flopping into his face. "Gone to Iron Town."

           Kanure let out a quiet wail of grievance that was only stopped by the haunted look on her former prince's face; through her grief she managed to whisper, "Do the others know?"

           "I just told them."

           "And?"

           "They are not happy."

           She paused expressively, waiting for him to offer more information. When he remained impassive, she asked, "Did you speak to her?"

           "Yes."

           "And?"

           "She would not come back."

           "She is a girl, and younger than you."

           "Yes."

           "And you couldn't bring her back?"

           "No."

           "Why?"

           Ashitaka sighed in slight exasperation. "She is my sister. I could not make her do anything against her will."

           Kanure looked somewhat defeated at this, but pursed her lips into a dissappriving sort of scowl and made as if to pass him. "I must go back to the village. I have not eaten yet. I'll come back, if you like."

           "No, go eat." Ashitaka's voice sounded hollow. "You needn't return just yet. I can manage."

           Kanure's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she looked dubiously back between Ashitaka and San and back again, finally stopping to let her eyes rest on the great white wolf. Obviously she did not hold much faith in either their healing skills nor their trustworthiness. 

           "I mean it. I am fine. Go home, Kanure." He roused himself from his stupor enough to rest a hand kindly on her shoulder. "We will manange," he repeated, his voice somewhat stronger.

           Still looking slightly doubtful about the wisdom of this choice, Kanure slowly turned and made her way slowly through the forest. The wolf could not help noticing how clumsy and loud she was. By comparison even that retched human Eboshi was better.

           San's hoarse voice sounded from atop his back, surprising both of them sufficiently; Ashitaka went so far as to jump slightly and look around for the source of the voice. "I though she would never leave."

           Ashitaka laughed quietly at his own foolishness and looked fondly up at San, glad that she was for the moment well enough to talk. "She is a kind woman, and she meant no harm, only to be helpful."

           San snorted. "She stunk of human and she made me drink some foul poison."

           He laughed again, and this time is was clearer and more genuine, and helped her down from the wolf's back, noticing with a pang at the same time how light she had already become. 

           The wolf watch him settle her in some furrs and knew that he had already been long forgotten, and that there was nothing more he could do—he was not wanted at the moment, and if San began to have a coughing fit or whatnot he was too big and clumsy to do any good. His growling stomach offered another reason to leave, one that he was glad to obey. And so, following the lead of his hunger, he stalked noiselessly into the dark trees.


End file.
